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Libs leap on Garrett's latest gaffe

The Liberals have leapt on a fresh gaffe by Labor frontbencher
Peter Garrett, claiming he has revealed Labor has a secret agenda
that it would implement in government.

Radio 2UE broadcaster Steve Price reported Mr Garrett had told
him the "me too" tag the Liberals are putting on Labor wouldn't
matter if the ALP won because "once we get in we'll just change it
all".

Mr Garrett said the remark, made in the Melbourne Airport Qantas
chairman's lounge early yesterday, was "jocular". This was backed
up by Nine's entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins, who was also
party to the conversation.

Mr Garrett did not deny the comment but tried to explain it in
terms of Labor's policies.

"Notwithstanding what was said, there is no doubt things would
change under a Labor government," he said.

"We would launch an education revolution. We would get rid of
WorkChoices. We would deliver a high-speed broadband network across
Australia. We will end the blame game on hospitals."

Mr Price rejected the claim that the conversation was jocular.
He said he was so surprised by what Mr Garrett had said that when
he left he asked the person with him (Mr Wilkins) if they had heard
correctly. "He said: 'Sure did, he said it all right.' "

The Garrett embarrassment  coming after his controversial
climate change remarks on Monday, which Opposition Leader Kevin
Rudd repudiated  was described by one senior Government
source as "gold".

The source said it tapped into the Government line that Labor
couldn't be trusted. "It's certainly going to be the dominant
theme," the source said.

Treasurer Peter Costello said: "This is the key that unlocks
what has been going on in this election campaign These are
the words that are going to haunt this campaign from now on."

Mr Costello said every time the Government announced a policy,
Mr Rudd said "me too"  although everyone knew these were not
Labor policies. Now Mr Garrett had revealed that "Labor has no
intention of actually implementing these things". "The Kevin Rudd
'me too' policy is a pretence."

A spokesman for Mr Rudd said he would not comment. Speaking to
reporters in Melbourne, Mr Garrett repeatedly stated his comments
were part of a short, casual and "jocular" conversation with Mr
Price.

His comment was about a change "for the better" that would come
with a Labor government. "It's very clear to me that the changes we
refer to here are the positive changes that Rudd Labor could bring
forward across a range of issues that count to the people of
Australia," he said.

When asked if he was worried that his two gaffes this week would
help the Government, Mr Garrett said: "A short conversation in an
airport lounge with a radio announcer which identifies that there
would be good positive changes for the people of Australia if a
Rudd Labor government was elected does not strike me as being a
gaffe."

He did not directly answer a question about whether the
conversation was on or off the record.

Mr Price insisted it was on the record and that Mr Garrett knew
who he was.

But Mr Wilkins described the Garrett comments as an
"off-the-cuff sort of light-hearted glib response". "We had a
little bit of a chat about how it was all going and Pricey had a
cheeky little question about the 'me too' policies which have got a
bit of coverage in the papers today, and Peter had a bit of a
light-hearted response which I took as very much a throwaway line,
I have to say," he told rival station 2GB. Asked if Mr Price was
trying to big-note himself, Mr Wilkins said: "I guess he's got a
job to do."

A former 2UE employee told The Age that Mr Price's wife,
Wendy Black, worked for Workplace Relations Minister Joe
Hockey.

The Age was unable to contact Mr Price. However a
spokeswoman for Mr Hockey confirmed that Ms Black was employed as
an adviser in the minister's office.

"He would have an incentive not to be impartial about what he
says on air three weeks before the election," the former employee
said.

Earlier yesterday John Howard said Labor was "setting a world
record in being copycats", but "they can't copy our experience and
they can't copy our capacity to manage the Australian economy".

Labor's deputy leader Julia Gillard rejected the copycat
claim.

"You couldn't have a more stark difference on Iraq, on
WorkChoices, on climate change, on health and education," she
said.